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The political and social history of the Pacific Islands since 1945 has been tumultuous, with decolonisation, democratisation, urbanisation, governance and ethnic conflict playing out in various countries. We will examine developments between WWII and...

This course is an introduction to the principal concepts, issues and theoretical debates within the field of International Relations. Topics covered include: power, diplomacy, the United Nations, arms control, terrorism, developmental politics, civil...

Why do countries sometimes fear for their safety or survival? Are other states or non-state actors the main problems? Are all security problems about violence? And how do policymakers analyse security issues? In posing these and other questions this ...

This course examines how New Zealand engages the world through its foreign and defence policies. It employs different conceptual frameworks to critically analyse key factors that shape these, including relations with major powers, multilateral organi...

This course introduces and explores the notion of foreign policy, which is traditionally considered one of the most important bridges between 'domestic' and 'international' politics. Here the spotlight is kept on the sources, instruments, agents, pro...

This course looks at the global, international and domestic politics of the world economy. It looks at the ways in which economic processes shape politics and the ways in which political processes shape economics. We look at international trade, fina...

This course is an introduction to the study of conflict and security. It examines how and why conflict emerges in the international system and explores different approaches to its mitigation and resolution, using both traditional materialist theories...

This course introduces the study of global environmental politics. It addresses key themes like security, justice, production, and governance in relation to global environmental issues like climate change, energy, biodiversity, food, and garbage. In ...

This course engages key ideas from critical theorists and their forerunners, questioning status quo assumptions about global politics. During the course we read and discuss primary texts from selected philosophers. We use their thought to examine the...

This course introduces students to the international relations of East Asia: what they are, how they work, and what drives their development. The course examines the structural, institutional and normative dynamics that have shaped the international ...

This course analyses the central issues in US foreign policy in contemporary world politics. The course develops the analytic tools that are useful for understanding the international environment and for an examination of how the United States pursue...

This course is interested in the international human rights regime and its impact on a variety of human rights outcomes such as torture, arbitrary detention, child labour, and racial/gender discrimination. Through the use of basic quantitative data a...

This course will analyse the political causes and consequences of contemporary forced migration, as well as national, regional and international efforts to manage it. Students will study a range of causes of forced migration, including conflict, huma...

This course deepens students’ understanding of International Economy. Combining historical and theoretical perspectives, students will examine how crisis, ideas, politics, and power have shaped the global economy. Topics may include global economic g...

This course examines the nature of power in the world politics including in relation to international security. Part I provides frameworks for conceptualising power in international relations. Part II presents theories of power. Part III examines how...

This course explores how state and non-state actors are responding to the multiple challenges raised by international migration. With a focus on the cross-border movement of people displaced by climate change, conflict, disasters, and human right abu...

In this course we examine issues in international political economy (IPE). We begin by focusing on the main theoretical perspectives in IPE, before moving to specific issue-areas such as international trade, finance, international investment, globali...

This course examines war and its aftermath in global politics. It explores political violence and its fallout in global politics, with a particular emphasis on the experience of war and the way it shapes bodies, lives and societies. Topics include th...

This course examines how states leverage their technological capabilities as instruments of national power and geopolitical influence in the 21st century. At its core, technonationalism represents the strategic deployment of domestic high-tech prowes...

The INTP 489 research project gives students the opportunity to pursue their own research topic with guidance and support from a supervisor.

This course examines the structural, institutional and normative approaches to international relations and how these analytical frameworks contribute to a deeper understanding of order and conflict in world politics. The course prepares students to e...

The INTP 589 research project gives students the opportunity to pursue their own research topic with guidance and support from a supervisor.

MA thesis in International Relations.

Research paper on a selected aspect of International Relations.

Students follow a programme of research and writing on a topic approved by the MIR coordinator and with a supervisor assigned by the MIR coordinator. Students must submit a paper of between 20,000 and 25,000 words.

PhD course.

This online course examines a range of Māori political structures, movements, ideologies and visions. Students will also explore Māori politics in relation to Pacific and international Indigenous contexts. The themes covered in the course include Tin...

Is waging war ever morally justified, and, if so, when? Do affluent states and individuals harm the global poor? How should New Zealand deal with historic injustice and the legacy of colonialism? What is the fairest and most effective way of addressi...

This course examines major positions and issues in contemporary political philosophy, including questions about rights, equality, justice, freedom, and democracy. This course is also able to be taken towards a major in POLS. See major requirements fo...

Who holds power in Aotearoa New Zealand? What forces influence our national politics? What role do citizens, iwi, media, politicians and other groups play in shaping political processes and outcomes? This course explores Māori and colonial influences...

Politics is the activity of answering the question ‘how should we live?’ This course offers an introduction to some of the various ways political thinkers have tried to answer this question, by (re)defining fundamental political ideals like justice, ...

What can we learn by comparing the politics and government of different countries? This course examines competing explanations for democratic and authoritarian regimes including economic, cultural and institutional theories of state development. Thes...

This course introduces students to the diverse institutions that shape politics, society and economics in a number of European countries. It seeks to explain why political, social and economic diversity exists in Europe and why it matters. In doing s...

This course focuses on political parties and major policy debates in New Zealand. Topics vary from the ideologies and action principles of the main parties to changes in inequality and the welfare state. Other topics that will be covered include stat...

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the major political, social and economic challenges and dilemmas facing the modern Middle East. Each week, we will discuss a key issue and concept, such as colonial legacies, state-society relations,...

This course focuses on the role of nationalism in both global and domestic politics. Is nationalism a regressive or progressive ideology? When is nationalism connected to patriotism and when to racism? The first part of the course will investigate th...

Political theory creates fundamentally new ways of seeing the world which, when they catch and spread, powerfully shape our world in material and political terms. This course will examine foundational texts from ancient Greece to the present, explori...

This course examines methods of governing societies divided by deep ethnic, religious, or linguistic cleavages. Drawing on cases including South Africa, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Malaysia and Fiji, we analyse forms of power sharing,...

This course explores how public opinion is constructed and how it affects voting choices in combination with other factors such as socio-demographics, group identifications, institutions, media exposure, and party campaigns. Countries covered follow ...

This course examines political movements, organisations, and ideologies. Students will examine contemporary issues related to representation, sovereignty, citizenship, and indigenous self-determination. Case studies from a range of countries will be ...

Entertainment forms of political communication such as music are very often neglected in research of political communication, although music has a long and varied association with politics. It has provided the soundtrack to political protest and been...

This course examines the implications of immigration and increasing diversity for political processes and outcomes in contemporary societies, with particular focus on how the politics of migration and and identity intersect. Drawing especially on exa...

Many issues that we struggle with most in Aotearoa New Zealand today can feel insurmountable. In the face of 'wicked problems' like climate change, socioeconomic inequality, and settler-colonialism, how do everyday citizens make meaningful impacts? T...

This course examines the politics of the Pacific Island states, covering the area from Papua New Guinea in the west to Rapa Nui in the east. Among other topics, we look at the subversion of Western-derived systems of government in the Pacific context...

This course examines the contemporary politics of the People’s Republic of China. It introduces the key approaches to studying elite, military and party politics, social movements and economic development, and explores state-society relations, ideolo...

This course enables students to engage deeply with a broad range of feminist thought. We will first focus on feminist critiques of social/political institutions, then on feminist prescriptions, and finally look at the means feminists have suggested f...

This course examines methods of governing societies divided by deep ethnic, religious, or linguistic cleavages. Drawing on cases including South Africa, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Malaysia and Fiji, we analyse forms of power sharing,...

This course examines political movements, organisations, and ideologies. Students will examine contemporary issues related to representation, sovereignty, citizenship, and indigenous self-determination. Case studies from a range of countries will be ...

This course examines issues and themes in US government and politics against the background of the US constitution and the federal system of government. In addition to readings and lecture materials, and the opportunity to research and write a resea...

This course introduces students to contemporary democratic theory. We ask: What justifies democracy? How can it work in modern, complex societies? Why does it so often disappoint, and how might it work better? What are its limits? We survey diverse a...

This course looks at the interrelations of media, communication and politics, especially as they interact in political campaigns and elections. As well as exploring modern campaigns the course covers several related topics and themes, each of which i...

Some argue that we are in the midst of a crisis of democracy with a decreasing number of people involved in politics. Others claim that the democratic process is actually improving with more people becoming politically engaged. We study different typ...

This course examines the politics of the Pacific Island states, and New Zealand’s role in the Oceania region. The first part looks at country-specific issues, including the drivers of the coup cycle in Fiji and sovereignty debates in New Caledonia. T...

This course will investigate the causes and consequences of contemporary human mobility from a political perspective. Topics will include: different modes of contemporary transnational migration, including refugee flows, temporary foreign workers, an...

Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique political system is the subject of significant domestic and international interest. In the first half of the course, we consider events and ideas that have influenced Aotearoa’s political institutions, processes, and act...

This course provides a limited number of selected students with the opportunity of gaining insights into parliamentary processes, the roles and responsibilities of members of Parliament, the functions and activities of the research units, the conduct...

This course will introduce students to the study of migration from a range of disciplinary perspectives. Students will examine core issues, concepts, theories and debates in the analysis of migration and how key disciplines (international relations, ...

The POLS 489 research essay gives students the opportunity to pursue their own research topic with guidance and support from a supervisor.

This course provides a survey of the different methods and perspectives used in Political Science. Students will gain greater awareness of the philosophical and political implications of different approaches to Political Science. They will explore a ...

The POLS 589 research project gives students the opportunity to pursue their own research topic with guidance and support from a supervisor.

MA thesis in Political Science.

Research paper on a selected aspect of Political Science.

Thesis course.

PhD course.